I know the explorers in Halifax love the local stuff and it doesn't get anymore local than these site. Many of you have probably seen a few, one at the very least, but I thought I'd try to draw a little attention to them since so close-by and they're really starting to deteriorate.. They won't always be there.

We're really lucky in Halifax when it comes to older ruins to explore. Older military ruins are all over the place. I've been checking them, one by one, and was overwhelmed by how much was actually out there, really close, to look at.

Parks Canada will now help me give you a little background on the Halifax Defence Complex.

For almost 250 years Halifax has been an internationally important military bastion. In the 18th and 19th centuries its impressive harbour and strategic location enabled it to play a pivotal role in Britain's acquisition and defence of much of Canada. In the First and Second World Wars Halifax was still of great importance as a centre for Allied trans-Atlantic convoys and as a base for the Allies' North Atlantic Operation.

A number of the military works protecting Halifax's harbour and naval station have survived to the present day. Five of these sites - the Halifax Citadel, York Redoubt, Georges Island, the Prince of Wales Tower, and Fort McNab - are national historic sites under the jurisdiction of Parks Canada.

I've been adding all of the sites to the location database. All of the national historic sites have been added and listed as publicly viewable with the exception of Georges' Island where unauthorized access is prohibited.

The various military bunkers, forts and ruins were the highlight of my visit to Halifax. I'm sad I never got into the bunker at York Redoubt (closed for restoration), but I did poke my head into every tunnel or hole in the ground I could find. Post more of the sweet underground stuff!

The underground stuff is still a mystery to a lot of us out here. The tunnels under the city, while they do exist, aren't exactly accessible. There is some underground stuff at York Redoubt that I've yet to crack open and walk through. And at Point Pleasant, there is a staircase, to where, we don't know.

Posted by tribeachpunkThe underground stuff is still a mystery to a lot of us out here. The tunnels under the city, while they do exist, aren't exactly accessible. There is some underground stuff at York Redoubt that I've yet to crack open and walk through. And at Point Pleasant, there is a staircase, to where, we don't know.

Fort Massey(1776 - unknown), HalifaxA square earthen redoubt, with a blockhouse, barracks, and a magazine, was built between 1776 and 1778 on what was then known as Windmill Hill, presently at Queen and South Streets. It was to command the deep hollow formed by Freshwater Brook, which was a blind spot to the Citadel's guns, and also to cover Greenbank and Grand Batteries. The 17-gun earthwork fort was enlarged in 1782 to be 320 feet long and 170 feet wide, with two semi-circular works connected by a redan on each side.(info provided by Bolling Smith, of the Coast Defense Study Group)